


Lost At Sea

by CelestialBound



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Dialogue Heavy, Fluff, Lost at Sea AU, M/M, Ocean, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pacific ocean, Slow Dancing, Swearing, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-02-08 19:37:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18629920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialBound/pseuds/CelestialBound
Summary: Max and David find themselves on the same cargo ship that's going from India to America. Max being forced to move while David is returning from a simple trip. However the unexpected happens once the ship ends up sinking and they find themselves alone on a lifeboat.(Inspired by the movie/book 'Life of Pi')





	1. Recurrence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Uchistyx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uchistyx/gifts).



Max was at one of the local markets one day when he spotted the ginger. It wasn’t often that you saw an American where Max lived. He could tell he was American due to his accent, or, lack of one as he spoke to the person at the stand. It was odd seeing him there because usually they’d go for the more notorious landmarks in his country such as the Taj Mahal. The man was looking at the spices laid out in front of him and decided to try some. Max shook his head in disappointment from the action of this oblivious white guy. Just a few seconds after the taste test the redhead was freaking out over the spiciness and Max couldn’t help but laugh. 

 

“Fucking idiot.” He muttered before he went over to the older male and sneered, “That’s Cayenne pepper you dumbass.”

 

David had his tongue out as he talked, “Do you have water?”

 

Max shook his head as he chuckled, “Nope. Good luck with that.”

 

“Please?”

 

Max sighed, “Fine. Follow me.”

 

He guided the guy over to a literal water fountain just a block over since it was the closest source of water.

 

“Seriously?”

 

“It’s the best I can offer.”

 

David was getting used to the heat in his mouth, as his tongue wasn’t hanging out of his mouth like a dog anymore, but it still burned. He got a handful of the water and sipped it quickly. Max watched for a moment before he began to walk away. The man called out, 

 

“Thank you, by the way.”

 

“Don’t mention it.”

 

He wouldn’t admit it, but the guy had a charming aura about him. But Max was better off moving on. He had to return home for his ‘birthday’ dinner anyways. Max had just turned sixteen but his family didn’t really celebrate his birthday due to them being atheists. Instead of telling him good news his parents had to tell him something that he wished wasn’t reality. He was at the dinner table when his parents broke the news to him. 

 

“Max, we need to tell you something.” His father started out with.

 

His mother continued to eat, avoiding eye contact with Max as he looked to her and then back to his father.

 

“We’re moving to America.”

 

“You’re not serious, are you?”

 

“We’ll be leaving in a week.”

 

“A full week? And you didn’t tell me until now?”

 

“We knew you wouldn’t react well.” His mother said softly.

 

She was right, Max didn’t react well.

 

He got angry once it clicked in his head, standing up causing the chair to scrape against the floor. He gritted his teeth and opened his mouth to say something, but thought better than to argue with them. Instead he left the table and marched on to his room, slamming the door shut behind him and locking it. If it were up to him, he would have locked himself in his room and let his family leave him behind. He didn’t want to leave India, he had been there his whole life. He heard about how shitty America was when it came to how immigrants were treated. 

 

He ‘tsked’ to himself and got out a book to read. He thought about the possibilities that would come with moving to another country. He enjoyed American pop culture, and he knew fluent English, but he didn’t think he’d be appreciated there. Who knew what people would think of him, and how difficult it would be to make friends at school. He only knew the stereotypes of American high schools and from he could tell it was a nightmare. He couldn’t even focus on his book as his thoughts filled his head with anxiety and feelings of frustration. He tossed the book to the end of the bed and slumped down against his pillow. 

 

He’d be spending the rest of his time in India sulking and lashing out. 

  
  


Meanwhile David was spending his last few days in India still collecting gifts for his friends back at home. As much as he loved travelling to different countries to experience what it was like in other places, he always got homesick. He missed his cabin in Washington where he would go on hikes and enjoy the mountain scenery. Something about his home was comforting, even if he was alone most of the time while he was there. He was set up to leave in a week thankfully.

 

Max had run into the same man on multiple encounters, again at one of the local markets, then at the zoo, and then at a swimming pool. It was odd, but Max kept shrugging it off.

 

Eventually the day came that the ship would be sailing. David would have picked a flight but despite his homesickness, he wanted to do something he never did before; sail across the Pacific. It would take a few weeks, but David brought enough seasickness pills and books to read. Despite how much he traveled, he never spent much time around the ocean. He would fly most of the time and request a seat closest to the middle of the plane so he didn’t have to look out the window. But this time he’d face his fears by doing something he couldn’t back out of. 

 

Max had to take the cargo ship so his parents could transport all their items from home. His mother refused to leave behind her old furniture, which considering how big their house was, it was a lot. Max didn’t favor the fact that it would take them about a month to get there though. He made sure to bring his books since he wouldn’t be able to be on his phone. He brought along mainly action and horror books that would entertain him with their gorey scenes, fast-paced battles, and unexpected twists. Then he saw _the same_ _man_ on board reading as well, but it was some cheesy romance novel. He scoffed as the redhead sat across from him as he waited for his parents to be done talking to one of the ship’s crew members.

 

They called his name a few minutes later so he went to follow them to their room. It was small and had creaky bunk beds that looked like they would break the moment he put his weight on them. He held onto the white but cracked paint on the metal and stood there with his eyebrows furrowed.

 

“How the hell are we supposed to be living like this for a full month?” He asked.

 

“Well you have your books,” His mother began. “And I’m sure you can make friends on the ship.”

 

“How? I haven’t seen anyone my age.”

 

“You’re going to be an adult soon yourself, you might as well get comfortable talking to people older than you.”

 

“Or to anyone at all.” His father said in a condescending way. 

 

Max didn’t talk to a lot of people, even kids his age. It was probably because he was a nihilist, and wasn’t religious whatsoever. It was mainly because his father taught him that it was better to believe in science rather than rely on simply faith, to take the reigns of life and make your own decisions without the guide of anyone else. He was a man who liked being in control, and despite Max’s resentment towards his father, his personality rubbed off on him. Max found that he was more like his father; distant, authoritative, and easily irritated. His mother on the other hand was shy and timid. Yet he was closer to her, and relied on her maternal comfort when he got overly upset. He wished she could comfort him now, but his anger was getting the best of him.

 

They were only moving because his father quit his job to take a new offer up in the US due to a higher payment. Max was fine in their home though, it was big enough, he didn’t understand why they’d need even more money. 

 

“You should go explore the deck. The ship is going to sail soon, maybe you’d like to say goodbye? We won’t be coming back for a long time.” His mother said.

 

“Not even to visit for holidays?” Max asked.

 

“You know we don’t celebrate.” His father stated while he started to unpack.

 

That was the one downside to growing up as an atheist in his family. Unlike most atheists, they didn’t even celebrate holidays, even of their own culture. He gave a deep breath in and left the room to go up onto the deck. 

 

He shuffled his feet along with his hands in his hoodie pockets while passing people in the hallway. Eventually he got up to the deck and went over to the railing. The sun was just about to set, its glowing orange light shimmering off the water as the ship started to move away from the land. He stared as the land got smaller as they moved further away from it. Crossing his arms on top of each other on the railing, he bent over and sat his chin on them. He gave a heavy sigh and then looked over to see the auburn-haired man from before. He was tall unlike Max. Max was pretty short for his age. The more he studied the man they seemed to be complete opposites. From his mannerisms, height, taste in books, and to his complexion, the ginger was way different from Max. 

 

The man seemed to be heavily sunburnt on his face after all the encounters, it gave a flush of red to his cheeks and nose. He held a smile on his face and seemed to be tearing up at the sight of the sunset. Max let out a heavy breath through his nose in distaste and turned his attention to the sun as well. It was a beautiful sight but it wasn’t something to cry over. The breeze was nice though, especially as the sun had completely went down. It got colder and brushed through Max’s black hair, but swept in front of his eyes so he had to move the curls out of the way. 

 

The man let go of the railing and looked to Max who he had just realized was there. David was instantly taken aback at the sight of the teenager due to the fact he thought he was completely alone, and the fact that he had seen him before. He gave an awkward smile but was met with a glare from bright teal eyes. David blinked, pausing for a second but continued his way inside.

 

Max watched as he left, feeling a bit lonely knowing there wasn’t another presence along with him. He had to get used to it though, he was always alone and probably always would be. 

 

Eventually he got too cold to stand outside so he went back to his room where his parents were already sleeping. He grabbed a book from his backpack and a small reading light, taking them up to the top bunk bed so he could stay up a bit longer, letting the words on the pages open up a gateway to his imagination.

 

David went back to his room as well, except it was more like a storage closet with one bed. It was claustrophobic but he was used to being in caves when he went on hikes, so it was something he managed to get over, unlike his fear of the ocean. But this was the trip where he’d get over his fear. At least, that’s what he believed at first.


	2. Shipwreck

Three days later Max had gotten up on the deck again during a storm. It was just like in his book; the waves crashed against the ship and water poured from the sides as lightning struck the ocean. However unlike the novel, there wasn’t a horrific creature that was trying to kill everyone. Instead it was mother nature that had tried to throttle them in her bare hands. Max was oblivious to the horrors around him due to his excitement. Being on the ship for just those three days left him stoic most of the time; the boredom of being left alone with nothing exciting going on got to him. But now the rain on his face and thunder blasting in his ears woke him up, getting adrenaline pumping through his veins like he was about to get prepared for a boss battle. 

 

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, a red flash began to go off and on, matched with a siren that he recognized from movies. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but he instantly knew that it wouldn’t be for the best. He noticed the water was moving past his feet, rushing down towards the other end of the ship.

 

“What the…” Max whispered under his breath.

 

He saw two of the crew members yelling at each other in another language through the cracks of thunder as they seemed to be pulling up a lifeboat. He saw the man from earlier, the ginger rushed over to the two men and they pushed him into the boat without warning. Max ran over and tried to ask what was wrong but he was shoved over the edge as well, falling into the boat as the man from before caught him in his arms. The main ship seemed to be tilting even more, enough that it became more noticeable. One of the men rushed inside to get other people into the lifeboat, leaving the other man by himself as he held onto the rope. 

 

“Are you okay?!” David asked the boy in his arms.

 

“I’m fine! What the fuck is going on?!” Max yelled back.

 

“I don’t know!”

 

The other man said something in his native language that Max couldn’t understand, then let go of the rope to go run after his fellow crew member. Suddenly the rope released, letting the lifeboat drop like it was a roller coaster, but crashed against the waves so hard that Max was knocked out of the man’s arms onto the wooden floor of the boat. The air was knocked out of him and he gasped, mouth hanging open to get the air flow back into his lungs. Raindrops and sea mist painted his face as it got into his eyes, getting them to instinctively shut them. David got back to his feet, holding onto the edge of the boat, and saw the boy with his eyes closed. He began to panic.

 

“Hey! Hey wake up!” David tried yelling above the crashing waves.

 

Max groaned but not loud enough to be heard. David couldn’t think straight so he did the first thing that came to mind: CPR. He pressed his mouth against the boy’s and Max’s eyes shot open instantly. He used all of his force into his push as he shoved the man off.

 

“What the fuck!” Max screamed.

 

“I’m sorry! I thought you were unconscious!”

 

The two were so distracted that they realized they were drifting away from the ship. Max was still trying to argue but David’s eyes were stuck on the image behind him. Max saw the man point so he turned his body around to see what he was so awestruck over. The ship was sinking, the stern deep into the ocean as the bow stuck into the air. It didn’t take long for the full thing to go underwater. Max shouted their names as he remembered his parents were on board. He jumped into the water and tried swimming towards the ship, taking a deep breath before going underneath the waves and forcing his burning eyes open only to see the glowing hue of lights that were becoming drowned out by the deep water. It lit up the ocean around them, but as it went deeper and deeper, it became darker and darker. 

 

The claustrophobic feeling crept up into his lungs as he realized he was almost out of air. He dug his way upwards and broke through the surface, gasping for air. The man held out an oar to him and he grabbed it, letting it yank him forward towards the boat until he was close enough to grab the man’s hand to be pulled back inside. Max collapsed again as he fell onto the wooden planks. He was too out of breath to try and yell, so he remained silent. 

 

David didn’t know what to do, how to react. All he could do is freeze up as he realized his biggest fear had become real. The main ship had sunk as they were passing through the Pacific Ocean, the largest stretch of water without land, and an average depth of over 12,000 feet. The most unexplored terrain of the entire planet, only five percent of it being explored; and he was right above it. He looked out at the darkness, the vast ocean meeting up with the overcast night sky creating an endless abyss above and below them. The only time he was able to make the details of the waves and clouds out was when the lightning struck followed by another loud rumble that reverberated against the ears.

 

There was still hope however. Someone would know that the ship had sunk. Communications would be cut and people would notice. They’d be found. He didn’t know when, or how soon. But he figured there was sustenance under the white cloth that covered half of the boat. They could make it. Surely, hopefully. They had to. This wasn’t how he was supposed to go.

 

He was just relieved he wasn’t going to be alone through it all.


	3. Breaking The Silence

Max woke up to a calmer atmosphere. Squeaks of wood and light waves knocking against the side of the boat woke him up. He opened his eyes to the glaring bright light of the sun that hung over their heads. Wait, he wasn’t alone.

 

He jerked up and found himself right across a man who he recognized but didn’t know. 

 

“Who the fuck are you?”

 

“I, uh, I’m David. Do you remember what happened?”

 

Max had to think for a second, “That… That wasn’t a dream?”

 

“No…” David said solemnly.

 

“Shit…” Max cursed as he stood up, almost falling due to lightheadedness.

 

“Be careful!” David warned, getting up ready to catch the boy if he fell.

 

“Calm down, I’m fine.” The boy reassured.

 

David waited a moment till Max sat down on the bench, wiping hair out of his face. Max removed his hoodie and then lied back against the side of the boat. David knew he’d have to talk eventually, so it was best to get their introductions out of the way.

 

“What’s your name?” David asked curiously.

 

“Max. And you said your name was David?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“You’re the American I kept running into.”

 

“Yeah, I’m from Washington.”

 

“I’m guessing you were in India for clout.”

 

“What?”

 

“No white guy just comes to India unless it’s to show off to his friends. Vacation or volunteering I’m guessing?”

 

“Vacation, sorta, yeah… What about you? I’m guessing you live there?”

 

“Did.” Max corrected. “We were moving… My dad had a better job offer.”

 

“I see… And I can’t help but notice how young you seem. How old are you?”

 

“Sixteen.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“For what?” Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“You shouldn’t be going through something so traumatic, losing your family and getting lost at sea with a total stranger…”

 

Max forgot to make the connection that his parents were gone, most likely dead now. Yet he couldn’t cry in front of this guy, even if they were to get close. Max wouldn’t let it happen.

 

Max looked around at the ocean that surrounded them, “No boats? No signals?”

 

“No, not yet.”

 

“Damnit.”

 

David would have normally been offended at such language, but knew better than to bother the boy after the traumatic event.

 

“What do we do about food and water?” Max asked.

 

“They’re under here.” David pointed out, lifting up the cloth a bit to reveal dozens of cans and boxes.

 

“Can you hand me a water?”

 

“Of course.” David got one out and handed it to the boy who chugged it down, sighing in relief before chucking it out into the ocean.

 

“Wait! Don’t litter!”

 

“We’re stranded out in the middle of the ocean and  _ THAT  _ is your concern?”

 

David brushed the back of his neck, “I guess you have a point.”

 

Max scoffed, “What are you, some kind of nature activist?”

 

“I’m a photographer. I travel and take pictures of architecture, people, landscapes…”

 

“I see…” He looked out at the landscape that they were going to be stuck looking at, just a boring blue ocean and a matching clear sky.

 

Max could tell that the man was under a lot of stress since he was digging his nails into the side of the boat as he bounced his leg anxiously. Surprisingly Max was calm, probably due to his nihilism that told him none of it mattered. 

 

“Are you okay?” Max asked.

 

“I’m scared of the ocean.” David admitted blatantly.

 

“Yet you took a cargo ship.”

 

“I know, I know. It was dumb! But I thought I could get over my fear.”

 

“Psh, well, good luck with that now.”

 

David looked down at the water, “Surely we’ll be rescued soon...”

 

“I doubt it’d be soon if we do get rescued at all.”

 

The man looked at him worriedly, “What do you mean?”

 

“This is the Pacific Ocean, dumbass. We haven’t even explored a quarter of it, hardly even a quarter of a quarter of it!”

 

David knew that already, but he was hoping he’d get stuck with someone a little more optimistic to ease his worries. Instead he had an angsty teenager who would only bring him down. To clear his mind he closed his eyes and began to give out a mantra.

 

“It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine, it’ll be fine…” He whispered on a loop.

 

Max didn’t care until the man continued for two whole minutes, just whispering mantras to himself to keep from having a panic attack. Max leaned over the side of the boat and got some sea water into his cupped hands, then threw it onto David’s face. The ginger opened his eyes and freaked out.

 

“Oh god oh god oh god we’re going to die!”

 

“Just shut up! Who knows, maybe we’ll get saved or whatever. But you won’t survive one day with me if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

 

David frowned and wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt. It was lifted enough that Max could make out abs, which was shocking considering how pathetic the man seemed. David caught him staring.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“No.” Max said sternly, looking back up to David’s eyes. 

 

David released his shirt and then sighed, “What do we even do…”

 

“There’s not much we even  _ can  _ do. I guess we just talk ourselves to boredom until we run out of food and water.”

 

“Or until we get saved.”

 

“Yeah, or that.” Max admitted.

 

Things were awkward at first, especially because David was quite shy, especially due to Max’s constant scowl. 

 

“So, photography.” Max started. “Is your work popular?”

 

“Eh, enough to get by. I take commissions most of the time. Do you have a job yet?”

 

“Nah, just school.”

 

More awkward silence. 

 

“Have you ever been to America before?” David asked.

 

“Nope. I dreaded it anyways. No offense, but most Americans are known to be total assholes who only care about guns, alcohol, and being racist.”

 

“I guess you aren’t completely wrong... There’s a lot of people like that. But depending on where you live, it’s not that bad. Washington can be quite secluded so you can distance yourself from people. I live out in a cabin an hour away from the city.”

 

“I bet that’s nice. Let me guess, near Seattle?”

 

David let out a slight chuckle, “Actually, yeah.”

 

“Thought so. It’s the only city I know from there.”

 

“Usually is for most people… Have you lived in India your whole life?”

 

“Yep. Born and raised.”

 

“Yet you don’t have an accent.”

 

“My parents were actually raised in America, so I grew up on your cartoons and films with parents without accents. It’s surprising how much influence that can have on you when you don’t have friends either.”

 

“I didn’t have many friends either when I was your age. But you like films, what kind?”

 

“Psychological horror, mainly.”

 

“I noticed you had a book like that on board as well.”

 

“And you had romance.” Max grinned. “What? Did your girlfriend force you to read it?”

 

“No. I don’t have one. You?”

 

“If I don’t have friends, what makes you think I have a girlfriend?”

 

“Fair point. What else do you do? Sports?”

 

“Not really. In school I just focused on reading.”

 

“I see. I was a nature freak in school. Biology was my favorite subject.”

 

“Yeah, it’s alright I guess. What about you? You seem like you’d go on a lot of hikes. Camping and the sort.”

 

“Yep! I like fishing as well, but not hunting. Killing animals makes me uneasy, so I’d just throw the fish back into the lake.”

 

“Are you a vegetarian?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well you better hope we don’t run out of food before the rescue team comes. We’ll have to put your fishing skills to the test.”

 

David eyed the water, “That reminds me. Do you think we’ll run into sharks?”

 

“It’s possible. I doubt they’d mess with the boat though.”

 

“I’ve heard that sharks accidentally go for people because we look like their prey…”

 

“Well then, be careful when you’re in the water.”

 

“Wait, why’d I go in there?”

 

“Bathroom, bathing, cooling off.”

 

“That’ll be awkward.”

 

“Everyone does it. I don’t really give a fuck.”

 

David sighed, “Out of all the things that could have happened, we managed to find ourselves in one of the worst situations.”

 

“Yep. If we don’t get rescued then surely we’ll regret not sinking with the ship.”

 

David spoke up with a raised voice that was laced with fear, “I don’t want to die!”

 

“Death is just absence. It’s nothing to be scared of. It’s inevitable.”

 

“Wait, aren’t you--?”

 

“No. I’m atheist. What about you? Christian I’m guessing?”

 

“Not exactly… I consider myself to be agnostic, after all anything is possible.”

 

“I guess. But none of it matters in the end.”

 

The ginger looked at him with clear concern on his face, “What makes you think that?”

 

Max wasn’t sure how to explain his viewpoint, too exhausted to even try, so he just shot a question back to the man, “What makes you think that anything has any purpose?”

 

David furrowed his brows, opened his mouth to speak, and then hummed in thought. “...I guess it’s just a hunch.”

 

“I guess you could say the same for me then.”

 

“So I’m guessing you don’t believe in fate?”

 

“No, not at all. I think it’s just random.”

 

David nodded, considering his answer. “It’s definitely probable. But fate seems to make sense as well. I mean, we managed to be the only ones to survive the shipwreck. And the fact we kept meeting beforehand, before we even boarded the ship… Surely that can’t just be coincidence.”

 

“You read too many romance novels…”

 

David put his hands up in defense, “I didn’t mean it like that!”

 

“Psh, how old are you anyways?”

 

“Twenty four.”

 

“Figured you were at least twenty one. And speaking of twenty one, wanna play the twenty one question game? Except, we’ll add in more questions that come to mind. After all we have all the time in the world as far as we know.” He said as he lied down on the bench.

 

“Okay.”

 

“I’ll start first, how was your time in India? Did you enjoy it?”

 

“Definitely. It’s a beautiful country.”

 

“Eh, some of it. The rest of it is pretty mundane. You just happened to be in the more rich areas… Your turn.”

 

“Favorite candle scent?”

 

“That’s… Really random. Uhh, I guess rose. It’s one of my favorite scents. I even love rose flavored tea.”

 

“Mine is pine.”

 

“Makes sense, nature-freak.”

 

David gave a light laugh, “Well, your turn.”

 

They continued back and forth until they ran out of ideas for questions to ask. The two of them refrained from going too into detail about their pasts and secrets, trying to keep the mood lighthearted despite the circumstances. Hours later the sun set and the two of them watched it in silence. David’s voice was hoarse due to all of the conversations, and he yawned out of exhaustion. 

 

“Did you even sleep last night?” Max asked.

 

“No, I was worried about you.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“I don’t know, you went quiet, I assumed you became unconscious again. I had to keep checking to see if you were breathing.”

 

“No, I went to sleep.”

 

“During the storm?”

 

“It stressed me out I guess.”

 

“Same here. But when I’m stressed I tend to stay awake.”

 

“Well, you should try sleeping. You’ll end up fucking yourself over if you don’t.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

They waited till the sun had completely set before lying on the benches. David looked up at the somewhat cloudy sky, then asked a serious question for Max to answer before they slept.

 

“I need to ask you something… And please be honest. Do you… Do you think we’ll make it?”

 

Max took a moment to think about his answer, then in a serious tone he replied,

 

“I doubt it.”

 

 


	4. Purpose

The sun arose and it wasn’t long until the heat got to both of them. Max stirred awake in a sweat, and immediately had to take his hoodie off. He looked over to David who seemed to have more red on his face from being out in the sun yesterday. The ginger had an arm over his eyes, probably to keep the light from waking him up. Max let out a yawn and then got up to stretch. The water was steady, hardly any waves pushing against the boat. He decided to get some crackers out from underneath the cloth and started snacking away at his ‘breakfast’. He already longed for the awful food back on board the main ship. He mumbled to himself, thinking about how dumb it was to put crackers on a lifeboat when it would only make your mouth dry so you’d use up more water. 

 

David heard Max’s complaints and let his arm drape down the side of the bench. He tried blinking his eyes open but immediately squinted due to the glaring light. 

 

“Has anyone come yet?” David asked.

 

“I’d be shaking you awake if that were to happen. Dumbass.”

 

David sat up and let out a heavy sigh, “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to handle this.”

 

“And we’re only on our second day.”

 

Only their second day, and yet both of them were already getting antsy about their time on the small boat. 

 

“How long do you think it’ll be?” David asked.

 

“Hmm…” Max hummed as he took another cracker and talked with his mouth full, “I dunno. Few days. Weeks maybe.”

 

“We’ll surely run out of things to talk about before then.”

 

“God. Death by boredom would probably be worse than drowning.”

 

“I guess I’ll have to tell you about my life story then, huh?”

 

Max squinted, “Please don’t.”

 

David laughed, “I guess I won’t unless you ask.”

 

It was surprising that the first day he was weary of opening up, but now that time had passed, enough to make him start to face the fact that help wouldn’t be coming soon (or at all), the thought of opening up seemed less anxiety-inducing. They’d be spending enough time together that things would get awkward fast, but also easen up as time went on. After all, they wouldn’t be getting any privacy except for when the other was asleep.

 

The day went on, quite similar as yesterday, except the heat was beating down on them so Max jumped into the water to cool down. David was too scared to get in at first, but eventually the boy managed to ‘convince’ him to just go in all the way instead of touching the surface with his foot. His way of convincing was to let David put his whole foot into the water, then grabbing a hold of it to pull him in. David yelped and fell face-first into the cool ocean. 

 

He threw his head back to breathe and looked over to the laughing boy. 

 

“That was so mean!” David exclaimed.

 

“I did you a favor. You should be thanking me.”

 

David splashed him and Max did it right back, until they were making waves of their own, causing a ruckus. The two of them were so occupied with their playful fight that they didn’t notice the fins that started to surround the boat. Max was the first one to stop and see a fin pass by behind the redhead. He brushed black curls out of his face just to make sure he wasn’t just seeing a strand of hair in his eyes, but he could clearly make out another fin.

 

“Uhhh David? We need to get back in the boat. Now.”

 

“What?”

 

“I saw a fucking shark fin.”

 

“Ohh no no no no.” David rushed to the side of the boat and then turned around.

 

“Just… Do not make any rapid movements… Here, lift me up…” Max reached for the ledge of the boat and David tried to hold him steady all while keeping himself afloat. 

 

Max managed to fall over the ledge back into the boat, getting up to help David up as well. Luckily for them, the sharks didn’t attack them right on sight. Instead they circled the boat and eventually swam away.

 

“This is why I’m scared of the ocean.” David stated.

 

“I mean, luckily sharks aren’t  _ that  _ dangerous. We remained calm and they fucked right off, didn’t they?”

 

“Well, yeah, but so much could have gone wrong.”

 

David took off his shirt that had clung to him due to it being soaking wet. Max stared like he had before when he saw a bit of David’s abdomen. This time he had a full view of his upper body. David caught him staring. 

 

“Am I that sunburnt?” David asked.

 

“N-no. You’re fine.” Max replied.

 

David groaned, “It’s just a heat sensation right now but I know at this rate it’s going to end up burning. I wish I had some aloe.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

David sat down on the bench across from Max. The two of them seemed to stick to one side each time they rested. Max was avoiding looking at David, not sure why he was suddenly so interested in him. They only just got to knowing each other, surely Max wasn’t developing a crush. He never liked anyone, so why now? 

 

David could tell that Max was avoiding looking at him. He didn’t catch on to it though, instead he was admiring the boy who had messy hair sticking to his forehead and a frown on his face. He looked cute with that pout that he held constantly. David was smiling, unaware that he was. 

 

Max gave him a questioning look, “What the fuck are you smiling about?”

 

“Oh, I was just uh, thinking about getting rescued and going back home. It’d be nice, wouldn’t it?”

 

“It would. I still doubt it’ll happen though.” 

 

David nodded and then stood up to lay out his shirt onto the other end of the boat on top of the cover so it would dry faster. 

 

“Do you want to take off yours too?” David turned around to ask.

 

“Might as well.” He got up and pulled the shirt off of himself and then handed it to David. 

 

David’s heart seemed to pick up in speed as he froze up for a second.

 

“Are you going to take it or not?” Max asked.

 

“Sorry, sorry.” David apologized before grabbing a hold of the fabric and placing it next to his own shirt.

 

Max collapsed back down, “I’m already bored again.”

 

“Want that life story yet?”

 

“Give me a couple more days and I’ll get back to you on that.”

 

“How about yours?”

 

Max sighed, “India. No friends. Books and television. No religion. Moving to America. That’s basically it.”

 

“You know you can open up to me, right? After all who am I going to tell? The sharks?”

 

Max laughed at that which caused David to grin happily.

 

“Alright, alright. Well, I’m a Virgo first off.”

 

“The stubborn type.”

 

Max rolled his eyes while keeping a smile, “Yeah, whatever you say.”

 

“Well I’m a Pisces.”

 

“Good to know, I honestly have no clue about astrology.”

 

“We’re petty emotional.” He gave a light chuckle, “Astrology is just a past time thing for me. Anyways, go on.”

 

Max thought about his life, how his parents took care of him despite not being the best caregivers, and then he thought about just how  _ boring  _ his life was. Nothing was exciting about it. 

 

“I guess the most exciting thing about my life is that I was bullied.”

 

“What for?”

 

“I guess simply existing. I was never sure why. But if if I had to take a  _ real  _ guess, I think it was because I failed my classes a lot. The school I went to was pretty advanced so of course the ‘dumbest’ kids get the most hassle.”

 

“You’re not dumb.”

 

“Well of course not, I probably know more than all of those assholes… I just didn’t see the point of it.”

 

“What do you think you’d like to do then with your life? What’s your purpose?”

 

“Getting philosophical again I see.” Max had to really think about this answer. He figured it would come to mind, even if it was just some sort of guess or a lie. But he couldn’t even come up with that. “I don’t know.” was his final answer.

 

“Well, even if you don’t know what you’re here for yet, I know you’re here for something important.”

 

Max shook his head, “Optimists…”

 

“I’m serious.”

 

The boy just stared at him and then looked away shyly. The way David said that to him caused an emotion that he never experienced before. He couldn’t tell if he liked it or not. 

 

“Max, I know we just met and all, but I care for you. Maybe it’s just because I’m a Pisces,” He smiled, hoping to get Max to smile again as well, “...But I just want you to know that I hope we get through this, together. And once we get to Washington I’d like for us to keep in touch. I’d like to see you grow up. Hopefully I’ll get to see you discover your own purpose in life.”

 

Max considered his words, and actually let himself take it to heart, “Thank you.”

 

“...Now, do you wanna play the question game again?”

 

Max smiled, “Fine.” 

  
  



	5. Sway

The fourth day, Max finally asked about David’s past while the man was on the boat, arms crossed against the ledge as his chin rested on them as he watched Max float in the water on his back, holding onto one of the ropes that hung against the vessel. Max sighed, finally bringing it up,

 

“Alright, I think I’m bored enough to ask.”

 

“Ask what?”

 

“Your past. What’s your life story?”

 

David gave an ‘ahh’ sound and thought about how to start his words.

 

“Well,” He began. “I guess I was pretty similar to you for a long time.”

 

“Psh, you? Similar to me?”

 

David smiled, “Yeah I was… I was quite the troublemaker.”

 

“How?”

 

“I used to pull pranks on people and watch them get upset. Similar to you watching me almost die when I tried that spice.”

 

Max laughed, “God, you’re so weak. But you’re right, you’d probably combust if I didn’t help you.”

 

“Yeah. Anyways, I didn’t have friends. Even when I found my purpose in life. I only just managed to make friends this year.”

 

“And your purpose is?”

 

“I believe my purpose is to capture the beauty in life, travel around the world, taking pictures and films of the present which will eventually become a part of history.”

 

“Hmm… But the world has plenty of photographers, not to offend you or anything.”

 

“I guess, but it’s my own perspective. Every picture is different, even if it’s just the smallest detail.”

 

Max sighed, “I still don’t understand your whole ‘purpose’ logic. But ya know, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

 

“It does, to be honest. If I didn’t have my optimism, I’d be dead by now.”

 

“Honestly, I’m surprised that I’m not yet… Especially after this damn shipwreck.” He gave a chuckle and then sighed. “...Okay, tell me more.”

 

David lifted his chin up off his arms, “I went to summer camp, found my love for nature… How I got into photography specifically was through a birthday present from my parents. They never talked to me enough to know what I liked, so they just guessed. Somehow through their indifference, they somehow influenced me in a way that I never thought they’d ever be able to do… Then I went to college, got my bachelor’s degree. Then I just started from the bottom and made my way to well, not the top, but a stable middle ground. Started getting enough money from commissions to start travelling.”

 

“Sounds boring.”

 

“Yeah, seems both of us don’t really have that much excitement going on.”

 

“Well, until now. You think they’d make a movie of this if we survive?”

 

“Oh gosh, probably. If not I’d probably write a book about this… If enough happens.”

 

“... You better not be jinxing us by saying that. Next thing you know, we’ll be fighting with more sharks. Or worse.”

 

“Please don’t make me even more scared.”

 

“I still can’t believe you thought this would cure your phobia.”

 

“Maybe if we make it, it will.”

 

“Ugh, I’m sick of guessing. I kind of just want it to be over with already so we aren’t just waiting around for our deaths. Well, again,  _ if  _ it even happens.” Max let go of the rope and outstretched his arm for David to lift him back up into the boat. 

 

David grabbed him and pulled him up out of the water, but held him in his own arms like a bride. He waited for a moment, caught in the beauty of Max’s eyes. The kid gave a look of confusion,

 

“What are you even doing? Put me down already!”

 

“O-oh, sorry.” He let him down gently and Max found his footing on the planks.

 

Max got to his usual spot and sat criss-cross, then shook his hair like a dog while holding onto his calves. David chuckled and Max stopped to speak.

 

“What? Do you expect me to use a blowdryer?”

 

“You just look cute is all.”

 

Max scoffed, “I’m not a child.”

 

“I was thinking you looked more like a puppy.”

 

“Well don’t make me bite you then.”

 

“Alright then. I’ll back off.” The older man said with a smile, sitting back in his spot. 

  
  


Both of them ended up going silent so they decided to take a nap, waking up in the evening as the sun was setting and the orange and red hues glossed over the calm waters. David was humming and Max was listening as he had his arms hanging off the wooden edge. 

 

“I wish I could paint this sunset.” David mentioned.

 

“I wish we had music.” Max said.

 

“It’d be a lot easier, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Sure would. I’d kill for an mp3 player.”

 

David then decided to sing quietly. Max blinked and then slowly turned his head with a surprised look. He turned his body as well, sitting down on the bench and watching as David had his eyes closed, singing a song that had a calm aura to it, when he reached the chorus Max recognized it.

 

Max smiled, interrupting him, “You know that band?”

 

David opened his eyes, “Yeah, you like them too?”

 

“Fuck yeah. I used to listen to them when I was younger because it’d help me calm down before and after school.”

 

“What’s your favorite song?”

 

“Hate Me, definitely.”

 

“That one is depressing…”

 

Max shrugged, “It is, but a lot of my favorites are.”

 

“Well,” David started, standing up. “I have a few more memorized.” He had to take a moment to get the beginning instrumental in his head. “Okay, I have one.” He held out his hand to Max.

 

“What?”

 

“Come on, help me.”

 

“I’m not a singer.”

 

“Then dance.”

 

“W-wait what--”

 

David grabbed him and started to sing, holding him by the waist.

 

David then held both of his hands, stepping back, then forward while smiling. After dancing calmly,  he then moved to spinning Max around slowly while humming, then grabbed onto him again to continue the song. 

 

Max didn’t realize he was smiling as well, enjoying the music he longed to hear for days. After a few more seconds, he copied a line from the song that got Max to finally get into the movements.

 

“Come on, dance with me.” David said. 

 

Max gave in and actually danced, and sang the only lyrics he remembered towards the very ending, both of their voices in synch,

 

_ “These are ours…”  _ on a loop until the last line,

 

_ We sway...” _

 

When David stopped, Max did as well. David was so much taller than him, so Max had to look up to meet his gaze that was oddly romantic. Max blinked in realization, letting go of David’s hands and then backed up.

 

“Do… Do you  _ like  _ me?”

 

David’s eyes went wide, “W-what?! No! I was just…” He averted his gaze, trying to come up with an excuse. “I just got into the music is all…”

 

Max looked at him with a concerned face, “Maybe we should just go to sleep…”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Max got his hoodie off and rested his head against it, facing the other way per usual. David lied down as well, but stared up at the darkening sky. 

 

_ ‘Was it that obvious?’ _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song sung in this chapter is 'Sway' by Blue October.


	6. Talk

Max ignored the man the next couple days, even when David desperately tried to get his attention. It started to rain around noon after two days of complete sunshine and Max simply pulled his hoodie over his head, putting his hands in his sweater pocket and facing down at his legs. David closed his eyes, letting the gentle rain fall on his face and drip down, tickling his skin as he thought of being back in the forest of Washington. If he were at home though, he’d be curled up in bed, or at least under the porch roof away from the rain with a cup of hot tea. He’d be smelling the fresh scent of pine, rather than the constant saltwater breeze that reminded him of how badly he missed having an actual shower. The salt made his skin dry, not to mention the skin flaking off from how badly sunburnt he was. So despite the cold, the rain was well appreciated, and actually felt relieving.

 

Max finally broke the silence, “I’m getting sick of this.”

 

“It’s only been a few days.”

 

“I mean, I’m sick of not talking.”

 

“Oh.”

 

David was sick of it too, especially because the absence of distractions kept his mind circulating around his growing fondness for Max. The more and more he thought about it, the more he realized he really was getting attached, and rather quickly at that. But it’s not like he had a choice, as hating the person you’re stranded with wouldn’t work out for long. Soon enough feelings would emerge, platonic or not. It’s hard to be picky when you’re left with so few options.

 

“How many days has it been anyways?” Max asked out of the blue.

 

“Seven? I think?”

 

“It’s been a full week and we’re still out here.”

 

“Unfortunately.”

 

Max threw his head back in exasperation, “I’m sick of this!”

 

“It could be worse.”

 

“Oh? Like what?”

 

“The rain could get worse.”

 

Right after he said the words, the rain began to pick up and a clash of thunder roared above them and Max let out a loud groan.

 

“Thanks for jinxing us, asshole!”

 

“It could still be worse!”

 

“You know what? Let’s just go back to not talking. I think I liked that more.”

 

“Oh come on, I didn’t even do anything.”

 

“Nah, nope. Don’t talk to me.” Max said bitterly, tightening his hood so his eyes were covered by the blue fabric.

 

“Max, can we please talk about this?”

 

The teenager simply lied down, arm covering his face, facing away.

 

“Max.” David said sternly. “I need to talk to you.”

 

“Can’t we wait until it’s not pouring?” Max asked, although his voice was slightly muffled.

 

“We haven’t talked in two days.”

 

“So what?”

 

“Aren’t you dying to talk to me as well?”

 

Max remained silent, causing the ginger to sigh out loud. David was about to leave him alone but then his anger got the best of him.

 

“You know what? No, you can’t just ignore me when I’m the only person out here with you!” David shouted above the sounds of roaring waves and rain hitting the water.

 

When Max refused to reply even after David raised his voice, the other male tried turning him over. Max smacked his hand away,

 

“Fuck off!”

 

David didn’t back off however, instead he pulled on Max’s hoodie and brought him to his feet. Max shoved him back.

 

“What’s your problem?” Max hissed angrily.

 

“Talk to me!”

 

“Well, I’m speaking, aren’t I? What the fuck do you want from me?”

 

David didn’t even take the time to think about what he wanted to say even though the past forty eight hours were spent ruminating about the confession he wanted to admit out loud. So now the words just couldn’t come out as his mind froze on the spot. Max’s bright eyes stared up at him with dark eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Well?” Max asked.

 

David glanced away, which caused an irritated groan from the boy. Max was about to sit back down on the bench before David spluttered the words he was too afraid to say.

 

“I like you.”

 

Max looked back at him, “What?”

 

“I know, I know! It’s sick! You’re almost ten years younger! But you know, being alone out in the middle of nowhere with no one else to talk to it’s… Isolating. I think my mind is just trying to come up with a way to combat all this loneliness by shifting my emotions into overdrive. I mean, here I am flipping out all because you didn’t want to talk to me! Here I am, shoving my feelings onto a child… God what the hell is wrong with me?” David looked down and then to Max to read his facial expression which was one of shock.

 

Somehow he expected some kind of sympathy, some sort of understanding, but the boy simply gave a look of disgust, “You’re fucking gross.”

 

It was justified though, it was the proper response. Max lied back down and faced the other way again, hugging his body to ignore David’s presence. David stood there for a moment, watching Max’s small figure lie there before sitting back down as well. David was already regretting it, the fact that he just jeopardized the last important relationship he had with another person, the only one that he had at the moment while they were lost at sea. He started biting his nails out of instinct, watching the lighting flashes off in the distance. Max was probably afraid of him now, he thought. Max probably hated him.


End file.
